The Color Compendium [Hardcover]

Augustine Hope (Author), Margaret Walch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1990

The Color Compendium is the first comprehensive, illustrated encyclopedia entirely devoted to color. This extraordinary reference covers the full range of color-related subjects, including their scientific, technical, artistic, and historical aspects.

The Color Compendium features:
- An A to Z encyclopedia, extensively cross-referenced for easy access to all information
- A section of color systems, explaining their development and use
- Sections on color communication and symbolism
- Biographies of leading historical and contemporary color theorists, and commentaries on their ideas
- A fully illustrated section of historic and twentieth century palettes and their source artifacts

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

That color is an art, a science, a culture, fashion and flowers, is all borne out in the pages of The Color Compendium. We tried to provide ready and quick access to the language of color, the artists, theories, and history that make color a factor in every aspect of our lives.

About the Author

Augustine Hope, who holds a degree in philosophy from Oxford University, is an international color authority and journalist who works from New York and London. We was formerly an associate editor of American Fabrics and Fashions Magazine.

Margaret Walch is director of The Color Association of the United States and author of Living Colors: The definitive guide to color palettes through the ages. She is a frequent lecturer at corporations, professional associations, and educational institutions. Her comments on color often appear in the press.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 360 pages
• Publisher: Van Nostrand Reinhold (January 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0442003781
• ISBN-13: 978-0442003784
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,365,108 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Color Compendium, March 30, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Color Compendium (Hardcover)

This is one of the most straightforward resources on color symbolism and usage that I have found. I did my thesis on symbolism and had to use MANY resources, this was one of most "user friendly". It would be the perfect desktop resource for a designer.

5.0 out of 5 stars color reference manual, September 24, 2009

By 

Raining Sunshine "Jacalyn" (Fall City, Washington United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Color Compendium (Hardcover)

I purchased this book based on a recommendation from an art teacher that I took a class from. It is different than I thought it would be but a very useful reference guide. The contents includes a color section and essays, And the categories with definitions range from A to Z. So the A section has descriptions for Aalto, Alvar, Abberation, Absinthe, Abstraction of color, acacia etc. etc. And, each of these has a commentary on what or who it is and a description. It is a great reference book for any artist or someone taking art classes. I like it and refer to it many times.